The Luck of Relian Kru

by Paula Volsky

In an attempt to end his bad luck, Relian Kru decides to meet with the sorcerer, Kepros Gavyne, unaware that Gavyne is looking for an eternal slave

Genres: Fantasy, Speculative Fiction, Fiction

294 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1987

About the author

Paula Volsky is an American fantasy author. Born in Fanwood, New Jersey, she majored in English literature at liberal arts college Vassar in New York State. At the University of Birmingham, England, she received an M.A. in Shakespearian studies. Before writing fantasy, she sold real estate and also worked for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Illusion, The Wolf of Winter, The Gates of Twilight, The White Tribunal, and The Grand Ellipse all take place within the same fictional world, with fantasy plot-lines inspired by historical events.

Paula Volsky also writes under the pseudonym of Paula Brandon

Reviews

[Nathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started reading Paula Volsky because I've been on a Jack Vance kick lately and I've seen her mentioned several times as a most Vancian writer, if less misanthropic. I started with Illusion, which seems to be her most popular book, but it was not the book for me: a fantastical re-telling of the French Revolution, it marked a turn in her career from her earlier, lighter fantasies to her "serious" later works. Some of the banter there was quite clever, and there was a lot to like (also just a lot in general -- it's a huge book!) but honestly I'd almost rather have delved into a history of the French Revolution than a novel (not quite) about it. Still, Illusion was enjoyable enough that instead of giving up on Volsky I gave her another chance and picked up one of her earlier novels.

Which brings us to Relian Kru. Ah. This is what I was looking for. The prose, the dialogue, the irony and the repartee. Delicious. Not quite Vance but than what is? Overall probably a ***½ read. It is not without defects: Crekkid and Nurbo are almost unbearably obnoxious; I longed for a companion as silent as Firx. The plot is simplistic; I kept with the book more for the pleasure of the reading than for the resolution of the story. The less said about the nephews, the better. But these things aside, this was a very fine light read that kept me amused as I studied for finals and kept me up past my bedtime a couple nights running, so I'm happy to recommend it. I'll be reading more from Paula Volsky for sure.

[Amaya Ells · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Luck of Relian Kru is a good older fantasy novel. It is set in an intriguing world and has solid characters. It is all in all a good afternoon read.

[Meg · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was great! Loved the language and the sense of humour.

[Harold Citron · Rating 3 out of 5]

Long-time backlog read that I finally got a chance to finish.

As far as fantasy stories go. It's actually pretty good. Most interesting is the magic system that lies at the heart of the story. While the novel doesn't provide a deep dive into this system, its a worthwhile start.

However, the plot is somewhat formulaic and flat. Both the challenges heroes, and villains are one-dimensional.

While some of the characters are intriguing, and could have been part of a broader series / world development, the dialogue, especially of the key antagonists, was, well, just bad. In my mind, I could see a good actor developing the lines, but right off the page, they just grated like nails on a chalkboard.

Since this was the first book of Volsky that I have read, I don't know if the flaws are due to the fact that this was an early novel, or set for younger readers. I would hope that her writing style developed with her later novels.

[Chrysanthemum · Rating 4 out of 5]

Takes some time to get into the main plot, but once there it held my attention and kept me reading for more. I love how it ended, too. It was interesting and satisfying.

[Sai · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 enjoyed

[Sebastien · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the first fantasy book I read in about 14 years. I can honestly say that I no longer hold a personal vendetta against fantasy books thanks to The Luck of Relian Kru.

I'll admit, during the first 20 or so pages I kept thinking to myself, "Wow, fantasy really sucks, and this book sucks." But fortunately the book quickly got better. I still find the semantics used in most fantasy books to be archaic and aggravating, and for some reason they have guns and talking sentient robots in this book but no pens or pencils, but this book proved to be humorous and worthy of my time.

[Conan Tigard · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Luck of Relian Kru starts off a little slow and never really picks up the pace. Despite this, I found that I did enjoy reading the book. You can always tell a good writer if they bring out emotions in the reader. And Paula Volsky did exactly that with me.

I found myself actually feeling uncomfortable for Relian with everything that is against him. The villains in this story really are not intending to be evil, but I found myself despising Keprose, Crekkid and Scrivvulch. I found myself empathizing with Relian and couldn’t wait to see what was going to happen in the end.

I did like The Luck of Relian Kru. But, like I said, I found the story to be a little slow . . . but well written.

I rated this book a 7 out of 10.

[Viridian5 · Rating 2 out of 5]

I last read this when I was 14. It doesn't hold up quite so well, but it's good, light fun with interesting vocabulary, even if it isn't quite as witty as I remembered it to be. Still, there are some favorite books from my teens that I couldn't stand when I read them years later, so The Luck of Relian Kru isn't bad.

Relian Kru is haunted by bad luck and odd circumstances. He didn't think his life could get harder or more complicated, but then a sorcerer takes him in to use him.

Oddly, I'm rather fond of the lovestruck steel snakes, Crekkid and Nurbo.

[Nighteye · Rating 4 out of 5]

great book with wonderful dialoges which is the best and builds up this book. it have good characters, an intressting plot and enchanting story.
The book wasent as I expected because its far from that funny description on the backside and get serious quite fast.
But on the other hand is there a lot of unice ideas, the best one (appears ca 50 pages in) a slave-collar from a sorcerer which is no more then a living steel-snake that commands Relian Kru and reports everything to its master.
great imagination behind this story.

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the second book that I have read by Paula Volsky. Skip this one and read Illusion instead. I liked the verbal parlays between the characters in this book, but otherwise the plot just seemed to drag and it wasn't until the last 50 pages of the book that I was truly engaged.

[Lance · Rating 1 out of 5]

50 pages in and wished I had not picked up the book. Did not finish the book.

[Little Timmy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good humorous fantasy book. This was the first book I had read by this writer, I'll definitely try more. Very recommended.